Felicity Reeves
University of Sheffield, UK
Title: Exploring the impact of a simulation based educational intervention (IMASS Integrated Medical and Surgical Simulation course) on 5th year medical students’ confidence as a marker of readiness to engage with Foundation Programme (FP)
Biography
Biography: Felicity Reeves
Abstract
Objective: 1. Track impact of simulation intervention on confidence. 2. Explore qualitatively, value of simulation for undergraduates. Methods: A mixed methods study: evaluation of repeated measures over time with exploration of emergent themes. Final year students (n=94) from two UK Universities underwent a simulation course with structured debriefing using a Sim Man 3G® and part task trainers. Learning outcomes mapped to Tomorrows’ doctors and FP curriculum. Self-expressed confidence scores in 19 domains were collected. Baseline scores collected immediately prior to course (1 = None, 10 = very), repeated immediately after (n = 94), one-week post (n = 79) and one month into FP (n = 58). Thematic analysis was performed on facilitated focus group data. Data was analysed on SPSS v21 with ANOVA and Bonferroni correction for repeated testing. Results/ Findings: Confidence scores increased significantly, post course (F(2.48,148)=49.98, p = <0.001). Mean baseline confidence score was 5.88 (SD 1.2) (range 3 - 8), increased to 7.22 (SD 1) immediately post course (p<0.001), 7.4 (SD 0.8) at one week (p = 0.655) and 7.8 (SD 1) one month in to FP (p = 0.15). Main emergent themes were ‘practise under pressure’, ‘responsibility’, inter-professional learning, specific personalised debriefing and realism. Conclusions: A simulation based intervention had a positive impact on confidence with effect maintained into FP. Added value of simulation was opportunity to practice under pressure, grade pressure and complexity, consequence learning and development of situation awareness, decision-making and judgement skills.